My Story: Navigating university with a little help from some friends

A little about me and my journey through academia: Since high school, I’ve attended three different universities and a community college. I’ve moved 16 times, across three separate states, and I’ve held 32 jobs across 14 different industries.

One might describe me as a “Jill of all trades and a master of none” — well except for that I did just graduate with my MBA from UW Bothell last month. I suppose that does make me a Master of Business Administration at least.

Why have I bounced around so much?

You’ll perhaps understand when I tell you I was married at 19. By the age of 24, I had four biological children all under four years old. By 32, we had adopted three more children through foster care. That’s a grand total of seven children — all under eight years old.

When you have that many children, they become your entire focus in life, and I would do anything for them, including working crazy jobs at all times of the day. And for a while, I lost myself in the middle of it.

There’s more to the story. 

For around 17 years, during that time, I was also in an abusive marriage. The kind of abuse that deteriorates your mind, leaving you constantly second guessing yourself and your reality. Once I found the courage to escape, I left for good. But afterwards, I was in survival mode. I spent the next few years just keeping my family together and barely putting food on the table.

Once my marriage was behind me, for the first time I had room to breathe. I began setting myself as a priority, and I started thinking about my future. I can definitively say that choosing to do an MBA at UW Bothell was one of the first decisions I had ever made for my own benefit as an adult.

I wanted to invest in myself to gain the skills and tools I needed to become a good leader. One benefit of having as many jobs as I have — you really see the contrast between having a good leader versus a bad one! It makes such a difference.

As I have been reflecting on my journey through the MBA program, I am only beginning to realize the powerful impact it has had on my life. I can tell you this with certainty: The more I learned, the more empowered I felt. It has strengthened me.

But, even then, there were still challenges along the way.

Doing an MBA is tough for anyone. Most of my cohort were working full-time while taking classes at night, and I was no exception. I was also caring for my children, along with a friend with dementia who I took into my home during the program.

Navigating all of that was tough, but many things at UW Bothell helped. I’d like to tell you about two of them.

The first was Dr. Sophie Leroy, professor and now dean in the School of Business.

Sophie is a person who walks into the classroom and has this radiant light about her. She talks to you like she has all the time in the world for you, and through her mentorship, she has inspired me to become a better person. She makes every student feel like they’re important and capable — including me. In short, Sophie is the real deal, and I aspire to one day be a leader like her.

Sophie was also instrumental in the second thing that kept me going. She encouraged me to apply for a scholarship created by Laura Metz, another alumna of UW Bothell.

The scholarship was awarded to me at a time when I was starting to doubt that I could finish the MBA program. I was having trouble balancing life and school, and I was losing focus on my studies.

The scholarship helped financially, but its impact went far deeper. It affirmed for me that I was where I needed to be. It was a catalyst for me to continue the program.

Having someone wanting to invest in me and believing in me made all the difference. It added to my sense of worth and solidified a certainty within me that I hope to pay forward one day. For that, I’m so thankful to Laura for creating her scholarship.

Through the MBA program, I learned how to be an effective leader, but I also gained confidence in myself. When I was with my ex-husband, I was psychologically beaten down so often that it filled me with self-doubt. Now I’m confident enough to say “yes” to myself, and I can see a future where I can choose who I want to be and what I want to do.

So, what’s next?

I recently married a wonderful, kind man. I have inherited two more lovely children and a grandbaby. My youngest children are just a few years away from graduating high school, my middle children are starting their own business, and one is going back to college for nursing. My eldest children have already graduated: one from Arizona State and two from UW Bothell. Go Dawgs!

They’re already pursuing their dreams. Soon it will be time I pursued my own.

I have a dream of owning my own business, of curating leaders and applying all that I have learned within my business. I want to nourish the souls of others by providing services that help them celebrate their life achievements and milestones.

One day in the future, I also hope I can come back to UW Bothell to teach. I want to build up and encourage others, the way I have been built up and encouraged by so many.

This story was an abridged version of Hunter’s speech at the 2025 Recognition Reception, where Laura Metz won the 2025 UW Bothell Legacy Award.